A bill prohibiting school board candidates from cross-filing would help voters make their choices based on the candidates core values, said state Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11th, who introduced the measure.

House Bill 2093 was approved Monday by the State Government Committee and could come up for a vote by the full House this week or its next session starting Jan. 24, she said.

“It eliminates the cross-filing for school board directors,” Mustello said. “I just think it's important for the voting public to know who they're voting for.

“Party members have core values. It gives more clarity to the voting public as to who the candidates are and what they represent.”

She said the bill would benefit voters from both parties.

In a memorandum attached to the bill, Mustello said the Pennsylvania Election Code of 1937 allows school board candidates to file nomination petitions for multiple political parties.

Historically, school board positions have been thought of as nonpartisan.

School board members once in office make important decisions about budgets, curriculum materials and textbooks, hiring and evaluating the superintendent and opening and closing school and a growing number of constituents are viewing the positions as partisan.

Voters are often confused when a school board candidate is nominated for more than one party on the ballot, and eliminating the ability to cross-file will provide clarity to voters who consider party registration when deciding which candidates they support, according to the memorandum.

Butler Area School District director Bill Halle, who ran on only the Republican ballot when he was reelected in 2019, said the bill will benefit voters who expect the candidates they vote for to support the principles of the party they are affiliated with.

“They see a name under a party banner. There's an expectation that person is going to support those principles,” Halle said.

The first time he ran for the board was his first venture into politics, and he said he cross-filed in that election after he went to the county election bureau to learn about the nomination process.

He won that election and ran as a Republican when he won his second term.

“After having served, it was important for me to differentiate on how I stood on issues,“ Halle said. ”I wanted to let people know where I stood on conservative principles.”

He and Al Lindsay, chairman of the Butler County Republican Committee, support the proposed legislation.

“The two political parties are very different when it comes to dealing with school board issues,” Lindsay said. “If you're running for school board and you want to espouse Republican values, you should be a registered Republican.”

Cross-filing causes a lot of confusion when it comes to how the committee treats candidates, he said.

“We endorse Republicans, not Democrats or Independents. When they cross-file, it often causes confusion about what party the candidates are. It causes conflict within our organization,” Lindsay said.

Catherine Lalonde, chairwoman of the Butler County Democratic Committee, and the Pennsylvania School Board Association oppose the bill.

Lalonde said cross-filing is confusing to some voters, but it has been allowed for a long time.

“It seems like it would make school boards more partisan, which isn't a good idea,” she said.

The bill could cause voters to vote for candidates based on their party affiliation instead of their stand on issues, she said.

“It should be kind of nonpolitical,” Lalonde said, about school boards. “This seems like an effort to politicize it even more.”

She said parents can go online to find out what textbooks their children are using, class syllabi and homework assignments.

“They're political weapons for Republicans. Republicans are using critical race theory as a political thing in school districts. It's something that's not even taught. There's plenty of transparency to see what kids are learning,” Lalonde said.

The PSBA expressed its opposition to the bill in a letter sent to the committee last week.

“House Bill 2093 would further elevate partisan party politics in public education by prohibiting school board candidates from cross-filing nomination petitions,” the letter states.

Most, if not all, other states have systems allowing school board candidates to file for both parties or allowing voters to vote for candidates from both parties, according to the letter.

PSBA members voted in October to uphold its position that the state should not prohibit school board candidates from cross-filing because cross-filing avoids politicizing public education and ensures that voters can vote for the best qualified candidate regardless of the candidate's party affiliation, according to the letter.

“School directors across that state have stressed that the focus of your local school board should always be on providing quality public education to the students in your neighborhoods in a nonpartisan manner that best meets the needs of students and school district residents. School directors should put students and communities first without regard to political affiliation, and school board decisions should not be based on political party platforms,” John Callahan, PSBA chief advocacy officer, said in an email.